Multifunctional smart beds and methods of operating thereof

Abstract

Described herein are multifunctional smart beds and methods of operating thereof. Specifically, a multifunctional smart bed comprises a controller, configured to receive input from various sensors (e.g., load cells positioned in bed legs, thermometers, and/or microphones) and/or user. These inputs are analyzed and used to control various bed components to improve the sleep quality, to monitor users' health, score couple's relationship, and the like. For example, these inputs may be used to control firmness of different mattress portions, change orientations of head, torso, and/or leg sections, adjust the light, and the like. In some examples, the smart bed generates a report indicating one or more sleep duration, sleep depth profile, sleep scope, heart rate, breadth rate, environment conditions, couple's relationship, and the like. Furthermore, in some examples, a multifunctional smart bed is also configured to control external devices in the same environment, e.g., smart switches, smart thermostats.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A multifunctional smart bed comprising:
 a frame, comprising multiple sections, independently movable relative to each other; 
 a plurality of legs, each comprising a load cell and coupled to the frame; 
 a mattress, positioned on and supported by the frame; 
 a plurality of environmental sensors, comprising one or more microphones, configured to obtain an actual sound from around the multifunctional smart bed, and
 to distort the actual sound thereby irreversibly generating a distorted sound using an irreversible mathematical function, implemented in software or hardware,
 wherein the distorted sound comprises distinctive features for differentiating between different sounds categories; 
 
 
 a controller, communicatively coupled to and configured to receive and process input from the load cell in each of the plurality of legs and to each of the plurality of environmental sensors; and 
 a plurality of actuators, communicatively coupled to the controller, mechanically coupled to the frame, and configured to change at least one or more bed characteristics of the multifunctional smart bed based input from the controller. 
 
     
     
       2. The multifunctional smart bed of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more bed characteristics comprise at least one of mattress firmness or positions of the multiple sections of the frame relative to each other. 
     
     
       3. The multifunctional smart bed of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of actuators is configured to adjust one or more environment characteristics of an environment, around the multifunctional smart bed, based on input from the controller. 
     
     
       4. The multifunctional smart bed of  claim 3 , wherein the one or more environment characteristics comprise at least one of light around of the multifunctional smart bed, sound around of the multifunctional smart bed, temperature around of the multifunctional smart bed, humidity around the multifunctional smart bed, or air quality around the multifunctional smart bed. 
     
     
       5. The multifunctional smart bed of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine presence of one or more users in the multifunctional smart bed, based on the input from the load cell in each of the plurality of legs. 
     
     
       6. The multifunctional smart bed of  claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine an identity of each of the one or more users in the multifunctional smart bed. 
     
     
       7. The multifunctional smart bed of  claim 6 , wherein the controller comprises a sound classifier, configured to determine the identity of the one or more users in the multifunctional smart bed. 
     
     
       8. The multifunctional smart bed of  claim 6 , wherein the identity of each of the one or more users in the multifunctional smart bed is determined based on the input from the load cell in each of the plurality of legs. 
     
     
       9. The multifunctional smart bed of  claim 6 , further comprising a ballistocardiogram belt, communicatively coupled to the controller and configured to determine at least one of a heart rate, a respiration rate, or a tossing rate of the one or more users in the multifunctional smart bed, wherein the controller is configured to match at least one of the heart rate, the respiration rate, or the tossing rate to a user identity of each of the one or more users in the multifunctional smart bed. 
     
     
       10. The multifunctional smart bed of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of environmental sensors comprises multiple microphones, configured to differentiate snoring of multiple users of the multifunctional smart bed. 
     
     
       11. The multifunctional smart bed of  claim 1 , wherein the controller receives the distorted sound from the one or more microphones and does not have access to the actual sound. 
     
     
       12. The multifunctional smart bed of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to score an intimate relationship based on at least the distorted sound. 
     
     
       13. The multifunctional smart bed of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to identify one or more of the sound categories in the distorted sound, the sound categories are selected from the group consisting of a normal conversation, laughing and joyous conversation, arguing and shouting, and intimate acts. 
     
     
       14. The multifunctional smart bed of  claim 13 , wherein the controller is configured to collectively analyze the one or more identified sound categories together with input from the load cell in each of the plurality of legs. 
     
     
       15. A method of operating a multifunctional smart bed, the method comprising:
 obtaining an actual sound around the multifunctional smart bed using one or more microphones of the multifunctional smart bed; 
 using the one or more microphones, distorting the actual sound thereby irreversibly generating a distorted sound using an irreversible mathematical function, implemented in software or hardware,
 wherein the distorted sound comprises distinctive features for differentiating between different sounds categories; and 
 
 providing the distorted sound to a controller of the multifunctional smart bed. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more microphones isolate the controller of the multifunctional smart bed from the actual sound around the multifunctional smart bed. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising receiving data from load cells in each of a plurality of legs of the multifunctional smart bed, the plurality of legs supporting a frame of the multifunctional smart bed,
 wherein the data, received from the load cells, is processed by the controller together with the distorted sound to generate an input for adjusting at least one or more bed characteristics of the multifunctional smart bed. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , further comprising obtaining ballistocardiogram data from a ballistocardiogram belt of the multifunctional smart bed, wherein the data, received from the load cells, is processed by the controller together with the ballistocardiogram data to generate the input for adjusting the at least one or more bed characteristics of the multifunctional smart bed. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising identifying, at the controller, one or more of the sound categories in the distorted sound, the sound categories are selected from the group consisting of a normal conversation, laughing and joyous conversation, arguing and shouting, and intimate acts. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising analyzing the distorted sound, at the controller, for at least one of a multi-speaker separation, a voice recognition, or a sentiment analysis.